Happy Advent

Well it is here. What, you did not see it coming? Amidst stories in the news like Tiger Woods being the next sports hero to bite the dust, another Notre Dame coach getting fired, and the fresh story of Barack Obama sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, Advent came this past weekend. I think our preparation time for Christmas could not have come at a better time. It looks like we might need a distraction from the distractions, and I'm pretty sure this season needs to be the answer.

It starts with the Gospel from this past week, and one quote from the Lord Jesus sticks out, especially for the college kids out there.

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life..."

Well, that's college in a nutshell: partying and exams. Ask any college kid of what they've thought about the most the past few weeks, and those two things will probably be extremely high on the totem pole. Yet, Jesus tells us to not fall in that thought process. This is the best time to cast those thoughts aside. Sure, you have to do well, but if you work hard, what is there to be anxious about? When you look back in twenty years are you going to remember one test you did not do well on?

God is telling us to relax. It's amazing how the Bible shows us just how timeless it is. It is the start of Advent, and the start of finals week, but God wants us to be able to take time out to focus our hearts on what is truly important. That is being a better person and getting closer to God, in preparation for his Birth.

We all know it is so difficult to focus in this day and age, with instant gratification often at our fingertips. Look at any of the biggest sports figures, as Tiger Woods' lapse in morality is just another blip on the radar, it can be tough when you have to look deep into the crevices of any political or sports roster and find someone who has an actual clean record.

That loss of focus is with us as well. Yet, the Catholic church needs you. Even the priest at my home parish said that enthusiasm is lacking as a whole. You can just feel the down feeling over the course of the Mass. New churches, that serve pizza and are apparently more "entertaining," are taking lifelong parishioners away. The things is, Catholicism is not about being entertained. I've said many times before, you are always not going to leave with a great feeling, you might feel like you got slapped in the face. But, you are better because of it. All God wants is enthusiasm and faithfulness, why not bring it for an hour every week? It's Advent, so maybe it is time to start over and become more dedicated to what is really important. The Gospel's message becomes more evident here doesn't it? Church is not for carousing, you know that.

So, get a fresh start. Get your homework, projects, and studying done, and come down to Muller Chapel or just your favorite quiet spot for awhile. Spend some time every single day to think about what Jesus brought to us the day he was born. I think of hope for a better future. With that thought, why not let the enthusiasm flow? Just make sure to keep the main thing, the main thing.